~and we say our "good byes" to kids~

I'd rather not venture to guess just how many kids I've had the chance to teach in this life of mine.  More than a handful, that's for sure.  My first 20 years of teaching were back in Haven, Kansas working in the same school system that raised me up as a child.  The next 15 years in education were spent just up the road a ways in Hutchinson, Kansas as I taught in the same system that helped to educate 2 of my own children.  Two very wonderful years were spent in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Colorado as a teacher in the Montrose/Olathe Public Schools.  This year completes my 38th year as an educator in Petrolia, Texas and for yet another year to be called "teacher", I have been most happy.  It appears that I've been around a while.

38 years of a long while.
I remain most grateful.

The school year will end on Friday of the upcoming week and everyone, teachers included, are looking forward to it.  We've worked hard, kids and adults alike, and to be able to have a break from it all is a good thing.  It's always a well deserved time off for kids and I love to listen to them talk with one another as they share plans for what they want to do just as soon as that first day of vacation rolls around.  Their plans are pretty simple and usually revolve around one thing.

Sleep.

The last day of school is the time for me to say my "good-bye" to them all and wish them well not only for the summer but for the rest of their lives as well.  This will be my only year at Petrolia and even though God's plan for me was to stay for just one school season, I am still glad that I came there.  I've had the chance to learn so much and a huge part of the learning that I acquired came from the lessons that the children taught me themselves.  Believe it or not, those are actually the best ones to learn anyways.  

Speaking of lessons, I actually was "schooled" on something by them yesterday.  One of the classes went into the computer lab with me where they were given the option of 20 minutes of game time as a classroom reward.  They all settled down quite quickly and were intent on playing their favorite games.  I trusted them to find an appropriate one and they did not fail me.  It was actually kind of nice to see the looks on their faces as they navigated their way through the different educational sites online.  Kids have never been afraid of technology.

I noticed that many of them were gravitating towards the same game and challenging one another as they played it.  I'd never seen it before and of course, I don't even recall its name for sure this morning.  But it looked like they were having fun, so much so that I began to want to try it as well.  I found a spot with an available computer and sat down to give it a try.  Sure enough it WAS fun and the little 9-year old girl that still lives within me sent me the sweetest message.

"Thanks!"

I tried it for a while and of course, mostly I didn't win but that didn't really matter.  What did matter was that for one tiny moment in time, I entered the same world that my students live in. Some of them stopped playing their own games for a bit and came over to watch me attempt it.  I heard the sweet comment, "Wow, Mrs. Renfro's even trying it!", more than once. It was nice to see life as they see it for a change and perhaps if we teachers tried that more often, the end results might surprise us.

I cannot remember a year's end when I didn't shed a tear or two about giving kids one last good-bye hug at the door.  Something tells me that this year won't be any different.  Come the 27th of May, it will be time to say our farewells to one another.  I don't know yet what next year will hold for me but as I've said before the plan for me is already in place somewhere out there.  I'm really not worried or anxious yet about anything.  

God has it covered.
Soon it will be shown to me.

                              ~3 years ago today when Mike and I were married at school~
I'm going to always be joyful that my years have been spent around children.  I could not have asked for a better life.